Watch Out for the Early Killers: Imaging Diagnosis of Thoracic Trauma

Radiologists and trauma surgeons should monitor for early killers among patients with thoracic trauma, such as tension pneumothorax, tracheobronchial injuries, flail chest, aortic injury, mediastinal hematomas, and severe pulmonary parenchymal injury. With the advent of cutting-edge technology, rapid volumetric computed tomography of the chest has become the most definitive diagnostic tool for establishing or excluding thoracic trauma. With the notion of time is life at emergency settings, radiologists must find ways to shorten the turnaround time of reports. One way to interpret chest findings is to use a systemic approach, as advocated in this study. Our interpretation of chest findings for thoracic trauma follows the acronym ABC-Please in which A stands for abnormal air, B stands for abnormal bones, C stands for abnormal cardiovascular system, and P in Please stands for abnormal pulmonary parenchyma and vessels. In the future, utilizing an artificial intelligence software can be an alternative, which can highlight significant findings as warm zones on the heatmap and can re-prioritize important examinations at the top of the reading list for radiologists to expedite the final reports.

Automated summary

Radiologists and trauma surgeons should monitor for early life-threatening conditions in patients with thoracic trauma. Volumetric computed tomography has become the definitive diagnostic tool for thoracic trauma. A systematic approach, such as the ABC-Please method, can be used to interpret chest findings. Utilizing artificial intelligence software can expedite the final reports by highlighting significant findings.